The number of potholes on England’s local roads has increased 32% over the last year, a report has shown.

On average, there is now one hole every 120 yards of road, with £8.5 billion needed to bring the condition of roads up to scratch, the report from Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) said.

There is a pothole every 120 yards on England’s local roads, according to a report

It will take 13 years to clear the pothole backlog on England’s local roads, while the time for Welsh local roads would be 15.6 years, the report added.

The AIA also said that local highways departments have to cope with the intrusion of nearly two million deep trenches dug into the roads for utility and other service provisions works and this was reducing the lifespan of the roads and often leads to potholes.

AIA chairman Mike Linley said: “Free-flowing traffic on unobstructed roads is the most environmentally friendly and the safest.

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“Vehicles that have to constantly stop and start generate more emissions and with a road opening or pothole every 120 yards, free-flowing traffic seems like an impossible dream.”

Councillor David Sparks, the Local Government Association transport spokesman, said: “The spiralling cost of maintaining our roads is totally out of proportion to the ability of local authorities to pay for it. Councils have consistently argued for greater investment to stop our roads from deteriorating to such an extent.

“In the absence of enough public money to invest, the Government should tighten the law to stop the system being clogged up with claims from people just chancing their arm.”

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “We want local authorities to implement a system of regular, well-managed maintenance – not to leave things until they deteriorate to the point that repairs become urgent and more costly.

“The Government has more than trebled funding to local authorities for investing in their roads and last year announced new funding to help local authorities better assess the condition of their roads.